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Click, Clack, Moo
By George Wachtel
Click, Clack Moo is a new, free, 60-minute, one-act musical, recommended for children ages four and up. Tickets are available on the day of performance at the theatre box office, one hour prior to curtain time, which is 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays; 10:30 a.m., 1:00 and 6:00 p.m. on Thursdays; and, 2 p.m. on Sundays.
Aside from the tickets being free, what makes this theatre opportunity for young people so special is its producer, Theatreworks USA, which is America’s largest not-for-profit theatre for family audiences. The Theatreworks USA Free Summer Theatre Program will provide the public more than 20,000 tickets between July 21 and August 28. Several of their prior productions, such as Charlotte’s Web and their special version of the Broadway production of Seussical, have had been quite memorable.
The Show
Click, Clack Moo tells the story of Farmer Brown who, all day long, hears the cows typing away protesting their working conditions. It is based on the 2005 children’s book: Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. You can preview the story, courtesy of PBS, at http://pbskids.org/lions/cornerstones/click/story/hypertext/.
This stage version was adapted by Billy Aronson who wrote TV’sWonder Pets and Postcards from Buster. The creative team also includes director John Rando, who won a Tony Award for Urinetownon Broadway, and choreographer Wendy Seyb (Toxic Avenger). The music was composed by Brad Alexander (See Rock City and Other Destinations), with lyrics by Kevin Del Aguila (Altar Boyz). The scenic design is by Beowulf Boritt who was responsible for the sets for Broadway’s The 25th Annual Spelling Bee, and the current Rock of Ages.
From Westchester, enter the city on the Westside, via the Henry Hudson Parkway. You can get off at Clarkson Street and travel a few blocks north to the theatre on Christopher Street. Arrive early to pick up the free tickets, have a snack or a meal along Hudson Street (half a block west of the theatre) and enjoy the show.
On Broadway
For older children this summer, there are quite a number of fine musicals and plays. The classic West Side Story has rough language and some love scenes, but it is really a very sweet production and true to the intensions of its original creative team of Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, and Arthur Laurents, its current director.
Hair (there’s full frontal nudity, although dimly lit) is having its best revival ever. The songs and story are a Baby Boomer’s dream but teens will relate to the sense of freedom these characters exhibit. Billy Elliot is the season’s big musical hit and will appeal to all ages. In The Heights, last season’s Tony Award Winner for Best Musical, has Latino rhythms, smart dancing, and is great for youngsters 12 years old and up. And older teens wanting to witness the ultimate royal rivalry portrayed by two glowing female actors could do worse than see the fight to the death between the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I and the Catholic Mary Stuart (Mary Queens of Scots) in Mary Stuart.
George A. Wachtel is president of Audience Research & Analysis, a New York City-based market research firm specializing in arts and entertainment.
Click, Clack, Moo
Lucile Lortel Theatre
121 Christopher Street (in Greenwich Village)
Tickets: free
See also www.twusa.org
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